Police in Kazakhstan are now required by law to read suspects their rights, using a version of the U.S. Miranda warning, when making arrests.

An official with the prosecutor general's office said on January 5 that the country's newly adopted Criminal-Procedural Code requires law enforcement officers to warn suspects being taken into custody that they are entitled to legal counsel, that they have the right to remain silent, and that anything they say can be used against them in court.

The official, Amirkhan Amanbaev, told reporters in Astana that the new code also includes provisions for the use of plea bargains -- deals under which the charges or potential punishment a suspect faces are reduced in exchange for an admission of guilt and cooperation with prosecutors.

Media outlets in Kazakhstan said it is the first Central Asian nation to have a Miranda law on the books.